Sophomores are not the only ones to discover the magic of Hanover during the summer. Many prospective students join in the fun as well.
As most sophomores don their bathing suits and enjoy "Camp Dartmouth," sophomore tour guides at the Admissions Office work overtime. Due to increased demand, the office schedules tours departing three times a day throughout the summer months.
According to Associate Director of Admissions Kiyote Hashimoto, the College expects to receive over 10,000 visitors during the months of June, July and August alone, and an additional 10,000 visitors for the remaining nine months of the year.
The Admissions Office staff attributed the higher number of visitors over the summer to the fact that prospective students are on summer recess.
"This is the only time we had. We are looking at six schools in the northeast this week," said Mike Zepada, a prospective student from Arizona.
But, Admissions Office representatives indicated that they were prepared to handle the summer tour boom.
"This is not a problem," said Mariah Cunnick '06, co-tour guide coordinator for Summer term. "We have planned for more visitors over the summer. Each day there are more available tour guides than tours."
Cunnick estimated that the Admissions Office employs 30 to 40 guides during the summer months and close to 200 guides during the regular school year. Because of the quirky nature of the Dartmouth Plan, however, the Admissions Office never has a full pool of 200 guides to utilize during any given term, she said.
Student tour guides are expected to work more during the summer months in order to compensate for the smaller guide pool. They must be available three to five times each week, instead of the once or twice per week required during Fall, Winter and Spring terms.
Despite the added work commitment, however, the College does not have trouble recruiting more guides for Summer term.
"Tour guides are an enthusiastic group. They do a great job. It is not a problem to have them work more shifts," Hashimoto said.
To make up for the added work commitment, the Admissions Office pays guides during the summer months. During other academic terms, guides are chosen on a volunteer basis, Cunnick said.
Many summer tour guides expressed satisfaction with their jobs because it allows them to show off their knowledge of the College's campus and present their perspectives on Dartmouth to visitors.
"When you're looking at schools your tour guides definitely have a large influence on how you view the college, and, since I'm really enthusiastic about Dartmouth, I thought this would be a way in which I could somehow give back," Lynda Tricarico '06 said.
Other guides expressed that the most difficult part of their jobs is not the added hours, but rather the "special tours" given over the summer.
For example, a high school group may bring a busload of students to campus and request a tour at a special time, requiring student guides to balance additional tour spots with their already demanding schedules of work, class and various other commitments.
"For the tour guides, there is not a lot of advanced notice," Cunnick said.
During the summer, visitors see the College in a light different from other campuses. However, Hashimoto stressed that while Dartmouth is not as busy as it is during the regular school year, it is still in a normal session unlike most other schools.
"Over the summer visitors are still able to get a real feel of the campus" Hashimoto said.
Also, as many prospective students have undoubtedly heard, strolling across the Green on a summer day is very different from trudging across the frozen tundra of a Dartmouth winter.
